CADBURY Heath struck a last-minute equaliser to deny Melksham Town a winning start to 2016 by claiming a 3-3 draw on Monday night.

Following a spate of postponements due to the wet weather, Darren Perrin’s side looked on course to win their first Premier Division game since Boxing Day as they went 3-1 up with 20 minutes to go at the Conigre.

Cadbury Heath had actually taken an early lead through Matt Huxley, which was swiftly cancelled out by Gary Higdon, before Ricky Hulbert’s double either side of the break put Melksham in pole position.

The home side were unable to see the game out, though, and Huxley bagged his second to make it a one-goal game before completing his hat-trick with a stunning 25-yard free-kick in the dying minutes to earn his side a point.

A frustrated Perrin said: “We should have won the game. It’s two points dropped, there’s no doubt about it.

“The pitch was very sticky and tacky, which was not a surprise after all the rain we’ve had, so the conditions were tough.

“We had the far better chances but we were a bit wasteful. We were naïve defensively and we should have seen the game out.

“But credit to them, they’ve scored probably one of the best goals ever seen at the Conigre with about two minutes to go.

“Having said all that, there were many things that we did well and I’m very pleased, so we have to look to take those on.”

Melksham now travel to reigning Division One champions Barnstaple Town on Saturday, with the Devon side making a flying start to life in the top flight as they currently sit fourth.

“It’s a good test for us. We will go down there and try to put in a performance. If we can’t, then it’s going to be a very long trip and very long day for us for little reward,” added Perrin.

“They have come up from Division One and have maintained their good form. We are under no illusions how difficult the game is going to be.

“Dan Kovacs was suspended on Monday and is still suspended. We picked up one or two niggles in that game too but hopefully they clear up and we can go down there with very nearly a full-strength squad.”